Elaine's Literary Salon

March 1 2025

Ep5: Today at Elaine’s Literary Salon, don’t miss our interview with prolific author Robert McGee, PhD, and learn about his intriguing new book, “Justifiable Homicide”

Elaine's Literary Salon
Elaine's Literary Salon
Ep5: Today at Elaine's Literary Salon, don't miss our interview with prolific author Robert McGee, PhD, and learn about his intriguing new book, "Justifiable Homicide"
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When does the killing of political leaders become morally justifiable? Killing the Hitlers, Stalins and Pol Pots of the world is easy to justify. Murderous tyrants need to be killed. But what if our leaders are merely idiots, or perhaps corrupt, petty tyrants who aren’t in the same league as Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot? How much damage can we allow them to do, how many of our rights can we allow them to take away, before killing them becomes justifiable homicide?

In Robert McGee’s latest novel, “Justifiable Homicide,” we are drawn into the world of a small group of patriots in Miami who believe that some of our leaders have already crossed the line and decided to do something about it. They identify potential targets for assassination and start going through the list. When our protagonist, an accounting professor with some firearms and martial arts training named Robert Paige, learns that one of his friends is on the list, he decides he must do whatever is necessary to stop them. The problem is: He doesn’t know who all the cell members are, or how to stop them.

Be sure to watch today’s interview with Elaine’s Literary Salon show host Jeffery James Higgins who asks Robert about his book, work as an author, and professional life as an attorney and CPA, having earned 23 academic degrees, including 13 doctorates from universities in the USA and Europe.

Click here to buy Robert’s latest book, “Justifiable Homicide” on Amazon.com.

Author Robert McGee

About the author: Robert W. McGee is a professor at the Broadwell College of Business and Economics, Fayetteville State University, USA and Adjunct Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He has earned 23 academic degrees, including 13 doctorates from universities in the USA and four European countries, and has completed post-doctoral studies at the Harvard Medical School, the Stanford Medical School and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

He has published more than 60 books, including several novels and more than 1000 articles, book chapters, conference papers, and working papers. Various studies have ranked him #1 in the world for accounting ethics and business ethics scholarship. He has also been ranked #1 in the world for tax evasion research for 47 years (1975-2022) and the 70 years (1952-2022), and he is ranked among the Top 10 economists in the world for research impact.

Robert has spent decades as an attorney and CPA, and has worked or lectured in more than 30 countries. He drafted the accounting law for Armenia and Bosnia and reviewed the accounting law for Mozambique. He was in charge of assisting the Finance Ministries of Armenia and Bosnia convert their countries to International Financial Reporting Standards. One of his doctoral dissertations was used as the basis for FASB Statement #86, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software to be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed.

He is also a world champion in taekwondo, karate, kung fu and tai chi and has won more than 1000 gold medals.

Learn more: robertwmcgee.com

Welcome to ElainesLitearySalon.com!

Bibliophiles will love this new show — live from the popular bistro Elaine’s in Old Town, Alexandria VA. Our host is the restaurant’s owner, Jeffrey James Higgins, a prolific author who is on a mission to help his fellow writers share their stories. Check out the live Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and InkandescentRadio.com.

About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host Jeffrey James Higgins: By day, Jeff manages Elaine’s, the award-winning Alexandria, VA restaurant he opened with his wife Cynthia in 2022. A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor.

He has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. He’s a #1 Amazon bestselling author with 21 literary awards, including the Claymore Award, PenCraft’s Best Fiction Book, and a Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal. He has been a panelist at ThrillerFest, Killer Nashville, Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity, and other conferences.

Black Rose Writing published his first three novels, FURIOUS, UNSEEN, and THE FOREVER GAME. Severn River Publishing has acquired Jeffrey’s forthcoming Nathan Burke espionage series. Jeffrey is an active member of the Authors Guild, the Virginia Writers Club, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the Royal Writers Secret Society. He’s represented by Jackson Keeler at Inkworks. Learn more about Jeff’s books: JeffreyJamesHiggins.com.

Click here to check out Jeff’s affordable book writing services to help authors everywhere make their book publishing dreams come true. 

And meet the PR Director for Elaine’s Literary Salon, InkandescentPR.com’s founder, Hope Katz Gibbs. With her team of award-winning journalists, illustrators and video producers, they help writers up their PR and marketing game with professionally produced podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com, the video version on Inkandescent.tv, a strong social media push, and more! Learn more: InkandescentPR.com.

MEET THE INKANDESCENT® RADIO TEAM

Hope Katz Gibbs, Founder & Executive Producer, InkandescentRadio.com

Brandi Wilsker-Merritt, Director of Podcasting

Nelson Benavides, Director of Videography

Max KukoyInkandescent Website Developer

Michael GibbsInkandescent Art Director

 

Previous Episodes
Tuesday, April 7th, 2026

Ep 51: Winemaker Daniel Grace brings his literary thriller to Elaine’s — Don’t miss this uncomfortable conversation about history, religion, addiction, crime & punishment

Meet the Author: Daniel Grace is a London-born, California-bred, former owner of an international advertising agency who produces critically acclaimed Tuscan wines at his family winery, Il Molino di Grace, in Panzano-in-Chianti, Italy. He is a storyteller by trade and a mythologist at heart. Daniel splits his time between San Francisco and Tuscany with his wife, three daughters and English Setter. In the Wake of Golgotha is his debut novel. For more, visit danielmarkgrace.com About In the Wake of Golgotha: There isClick here to listen to the podcast!

Sunday, April 5th, 2026

If you missed our book launch party: Listen to the interview as Noir bestseller Chris Chambers turns the table on show host Jeffrey James Higgins, who is celebrating the release of the last book in his 4-part Nathan Burke series

Hello friends! If you missed the book launch party at Elaine’s Literary Salon on April 2, listen and watch the impressive interview between Jeff and award-winning noir author Christopher Chambers, ChrisChamberNoir.com. Help us celebrate the release of book 4 in the 4-part Nathan Burke series. “I wanted to write a story about what happens when devotion and duty collide, giving my protagonist — FBI Agent Nathan Burke — a heart-pounding challenge to uncover a global conspiracy to save his wife,Click here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, March 31st, 2026

Dr. Joan Naidorf offers a challenge to medical professionals in her new book, “Changing How We Think About Difficult Patients: A Guide for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals”

Meet the Author: Dr. Joan Naidorf is a board-certified emergency physician trained at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia. After growing up in Highland Park, NJ, she obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia. She practiced for nearly thirty years in the busy emergency departments of Inova Alexandria Hospital and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia. As an author and speaker, she has been sharing important ideas with students, residents and practicing physicians throughClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, March 24th, 2026

Poet Bonnie Naradzay says you are “Invited to the Feast” — Join us at Elaine’s for this magical event!

About Bonnie Naradzay: As a mother, professional, teacher, and longtime volunteer, leading poetry sessions in prisons, a retirement community, and among the homeless, Bonnie has gathered much of both the lost and found, culminating in the publication of Invited to the Feast, a collection of poems and literary debut coming in her eightieth year. Her poems appear in AGNI, New Letters (Pushcart Nomination), RHINO, Kenyon Review online, Tampa Review, Florida Review online, EPOCH, Pinch (Pushcart Nomination), American Journal of Poetry,Click here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, March 17th, 2026

Podcaster and award-winning author Elizabeth Bruce talks about “Universally Adored & Other One Dollar Stories”

Meet the Author: Elizabeth Bruce’s collection, Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories (Vine Leaves Press, 2024), won the 2025 IBA Short Story Award and Literary Titan Gold Award in Fiction, as well as an IAN Book of the Year Finalist distinction. Her debut novel, And Silent Left the Place, won Washington Writers’ Publishing House’s Fiction Prize, as well as a ForeWord Magazine Bronze Prize and the Texas Institute of Letters’ Finalist Award. She’s published in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,Click here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, March 10th, 2026

March 21: Writer’s — Sign up for Elaine’s Literary Salon Workshop, “Becoming a Master Writer” with John DeDakis

Click here to sign up today for the March 21 workshop with John DeDakis! Course Description: A series of topic-specific workshops designed to drill deeper into the finer points of storytelling. Writing exercises will help you hone your skills and give you the confidence to take your writing to the next level. Deep Listening for Writers: A writer is an observer first, last, and always. This session is an invitation to consider every interaction as an opportunity to follow one’sClick here to listen to the podcast!

Friday, March 6th, 2026

Rebecca Morrison brings her accliamed YA novel, “The Blue Dress,” to Elaine’s Literay Salon! Don’t miss this book talk about being an immigrant trying to fit into a new American homeland, and a family’s expectations of beauty

When: Sunday, April 26, 2026 from 12-3pm Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Get your free ticket: RebeccaMorrison.eventbrite.com Meet the Author: Rebecca Morrison is the author of The Blue Dress, a novel based on her childhood as an Iranian immigrant trying to fit into her new American homeland and her family’s expectations of beauty. Published by Macmillan’s imprint Farrar, Straus and Giroux, the book will be available for purchase on March 24. The book has already received positive reviews fromClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

History comes alive at Elaine’s Literary Salon: Irene Bennett shares her new novel, “Battle of the Artisans,” which portrays the making of the very real Bells of Marquis Yi, a 2500-year-old National Treasure of China

When: Saturday, May 02, 2026 from 12-3pm Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Sign up for your free ticket on Eventbrite: IreneBennett.Eventbrite.com Meet the Author: Irene Vinyard Bennett has wide experience as a writer and educational minister. Her debut novel, BATTLE OF THE ARTISANS: Making the Bells of Marquis Yi, won the International Proverse Prize of 2022.  It is the first story about the Bronze-Age Bells of Marquis Yi, a National Treasure of China. An international motivational speaker, workshopClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

Emil Buchman takes us to a galazy far, far away in “Redemption Post Mortem: A Twisty Paranormal Thriller”

Meet the Author: Emil Buchman was born in the Galaxy Far, Far Away (aka, Baku, Azerbaijan) and came to the United States in the early 1990s. Currently, he lives in Brooklyn, New York with his beautiful wife and adorable wheaten terrier Chloe. Emil is a practicing transactional lawyer, structuring and documenting complex debt instruments but, by his own admission, this is a boring part of his life. When he is not practicing, Emil enjoys reading and watching classics, history, fantasy,Click here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, February 24th, 2026

Ep44: We welcome back to Elaine’s Literary Salon critically acclaimed bestselling author John Gilstrap

This week at Elaine’s Literary Salon, we are excited to share our newest interview with critically acclaimed, bestselling author John Gilstrap. Today, he talks with Elaine’s Literary Salon host Jeffrey James Higgins about his new novels, writing process, and what makes his books so popular with readers. About the author and his books: When John Gilstrap’s first novel, Nathan’s Run, hit the market in 1996, it set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the movieClick here to listen to the podcast!

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026

April 25 Writer’s Workshop: Book Writing Coach Karen Bacellar teaches us about “Beginnings and Endings — How Stories Open, Close, and Echo”

When: Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 11-4pm Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Buy your ticket: beginningsandendings.eventbrite.com 60-minute in-person and virtual seminar, noon-1pm ET $30 for in-person (includes light meal and drink) Free for virtual attendees Password for your free ticket: Zoom Click here to join us in the Zoom room This seminar looks at how the opening and closing of a novel work in conversation with one another to shape the story as a whole. Rather than treatingClick here to listen to the podcast!

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026

February 21 Writer’s Workshop: Book Writing Coach Karen Bacellar helps us “Find the Shape of Your Story: A Blueprint for Novel Planning”

When: Saturday, February 21, 2026 from Noon to 1:30pm Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Buy your ticket: shapeofyourstory.eventbrite.com 90-minute in-person seminar: $125 $99 for writing group members: Click here to send us an email and we’ll give the code Capped at 20 writers This 90-minute seminar introduces writers to a structured but flexible way of thinking about planning or revising a novel. Drawing on Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Book method, the session offers a crash-course overview of the 14Click here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026

Ep43: C.R. Rowenson shares his Magic System Seminar, “The Hidden Tool Dean Koontz, Tana French, and Others Use to Bend Reality”

A Note from Jeffrey James Higgins and Hope Katz Gibbs, ElainesLiterarySalon.com — Hello friends! We were thrilled to host a seminar on Jan. 29 featuring award-winning author and writing coach C.R. Rowenson. The video and podcast of the event is now live on our Salon site, InkandescentRadio.com, Spotify, Apple, and iHeart Radio. Pick your favorite channel to watch and listen. We know you’ll learn a lot! Big news: On March 7, C.R. Rowenson will be in-person at ElainesLiterarySalon.com for anotherClick here to listen to the podcast!

Sunday, February 15th, 2026

“I Can’t Have Cancer, I Have Carpool!” shares author, mom of 3 and cancer survivor Elizabeth Hodges. Meet her May 13

When: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 from 6-9pm Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Get your free ticket: ElizabethHodges.eventbrite.com Meet the Author: Elizabeth Hodges was 38 when she got the news, “You have leukemia.” Six weeks later, she was told she also had adult cystic fibrosis. With three young children, intense fear set in that she might not live to see them grow up. Instead of giving in, she became determined to prioritize her role as a mother and leadClick here to listen to the podcast!

Friday, February 13th, 2026

Wanda Rawlings brings her award-winning series, “A Christian Journey,” to Elaine’s Literary Salon on April 18! Get your free tickets today

When: Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 12-3pm Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Get your free ticket: wandarawlings.eventbrite.com Meet the Author: Wanda Rawlings is a Christian fiction author, Bible study teacher, and speaker with over three decades of experience as a civilian Federal employee and a lifelong passion for encouraging spiritual growth through storytelling and the Word of God. She is the creator and facilitator of the Root of the Matter Virtual Women’s Bible Study, a thriving ministry she hasClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, February 10th, 2026

Ep42: Check out this week’s interview with Tom Straw, the Emmy and Writers’ Guild of America-nominated writer-producer of Night Court, Dave’s World, Grace Under Fire, and Nurse Jackie. His newest book is for sale: “The Accidental Joe”

Meet the Author: Tom Straw is an Emmy and Writers’ Guild of America-nominated writer-producer, New York Timesand USA Today best-selling author, and former Mystery Writers of America board member. Writing as Richard Castle, Tom originated the Nikki Heat series, all New York Times Bestsellers. Under his own name he published The Trigger Episode, Buzz Killer, and the USA Today best-selling spy thriller, The Accidental Joe. In TV, Tom wrote for and produced the original Night Court, Dave’s World, Grace Under Fire,Click here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026

Ep41: Adam S. Lovinger brings us “The Insider Threat: How the deep state undermines America from within.”

Meet the Author: Adam S. Lovinger serves as Vice President for Strategic Affairs at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. In 2017, Adam was Senior Director for Strategic Assessments at the U.S. National Security Council (NSC). From 2006-2017 he provided direct support on long-term U.S. national security strategy to the Secretary of Defense from the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment (ONA). He has served as adjunct professor in three Georgetown University graduate schools and guestClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, January 27th, 2026

Ep40: Puja Guha is the author of seven novels and four short stories! She shares details about her Ahriman Legacy series and the story in the new anthology, “On Fire Under Water”

About bestselling author Puja Guha: International Development Consultant. Global Citizen. Author of seven novels and four published short stories. Born into a family of acclaimed Indian architects, Puja traveled with her parents as they worked on projects around the world. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Puja completed her Master’s degree in public policy at Sciences Po and the London School of Economics. Today, she works as an independent consultant on international development programs – primarily in Africa andClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

Ep39: Meet Andrew Rubin, Filmmaker, author, and cofounder of the mental health education company Symptom Media

Meet the Author: Andrew Rubin is a filmmaker, writer, and cofounder of the mental health education company Symptom Media. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied Film Production and History, he has spent over a decade in the trenches of Hollywood development as a screenwriter. Andrew co-directed the inspirational documentary Ride with Larry, about Parkinson’s, inspired by his father’s battle against the disease. The film’s segment exploring Parkinson’s and medical marijuana received global attention, andClick here to listen to the podcast!

Tuesday, January 13th, 2026

Ep 38: On today’s Elaine’s Literary Salon show, meet the authors behind the poweful book, “Fire and Under Water — A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology”

About the interview:Today’s video podcast led by Elaine’s Literary Salon Host Jeffrey James Higgins icludes Puja Guha, Zakariah Johnson, Curtis Ippolito, and Michael Downing. Meet Puja Guha on Sunday, Jan. 18 at Elaine’s Literary Salon where she will talk about the anthology and her other novels. Get your free ticket on Eventbrite! More details can be found about Puja and this amazing event at elainesliterarysalon.com. About the anthology: Our world is changing dramatically before our eyes. Increased average global temperatures have wreakedClick here to listen to the podcast!